Capital Equipment News January 2019

CONSTRUCTION NEWS

Second CNC machining centre for Metric Automotive

machining centre. The two machining centres at Metric Au- tomotive Engineering’s facility in Johannes- burg, Gauteng are only two of 18 operating worldwide and place the company clearly in a category of its own when it comes to diesel engine component remanufacturing. Andrew Yorke, operations director of Metric Automotive Engineering, says the increased demand is as a result of compa- nies placing greater emphasis on scheduled refurbishment programmes in an attempt to mitigate against unscheduled downtime which can have catastrophic results. “The trend where operations wait for engines and their components to reach the point of failure before attending to much needed repairs or refurbishment is starting to wane,” Yorke says. “This is apparent across the earthmoving, construction, mining, power generation and railway sectors as we see more accurate condition monitoring starting to be implemented.” Operating two of these massive three axis computer numerical controlled

• Metric operates two of the 18 CNC machines operating worldwide • Each centre has the capacity to handle 6,5-m long blocks

machining centres will enable Metric Automotive Engineering to offer a faster turnaround to its customer base. Yorke, however, cautions that the nature of block repair is a significant remanufacturing pro- cess as at this stage of repair it is no longer simply a skim. “These are not light repairs which take only a few hours, and this type of machin- ing, which will see the block being returned back to specification, is done over a number of days depending on the condition of the block,” he says. The machining centres provide consistent accuracy levels resulting in a superior quali- ty remanufactured engine block. Each centre has the capacity to handle 6,5-m long blocks with ease. b

Metric Automotive Engineering now operates two extra heavy duty multi-purpose CNC machining centres.

The demand for quality large diesel engine component remanufacturing has increased significantly, and in a move to accommo- date this, Metric Automotive Engineering recently commissioned its second Rottler F109 extra heavy duty multi-purpose CNC

New Raimondi dealer for eight African countries

ZLT Tower Cranes Pty Ltd (ZLT Cranes), founded by Rob Cook and Mark Bates, has been appointed as the official agent for Rai- mondi Cranes across eight African countries from its base in Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Effective December last year, ZLT Cranes will act as the sole Raimondi dealer across South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo, representing the manufacturer’s luffing and topless tower cranes as well as its crane accessories. “ZLT Cranes is dynamic company with considerable market knowledge. This is paired with experience in selling lifting products to a wide range of clients for a variety of purposes, from residential devel- opments to infrastructure projects and the mining industry,” says Eng. Mauro Masetti, chief commercial officer, Raimondi Cranes. “Our initial discussions quickly indicated that the company’s on-the-ground experi- ence together with a demonstrated history of success in the regional construction sec- tor would prove valuable as a partnership,” adds Masetti. “ZLT is proud to inaugurate its agency appointment with our first sale of a Raimon- di MRT159 topless tower crane to one of South Africa’s most notable gold producers. Harmony Gold will be using the MRT159 at

The first ever Raimondi MRT159 in South Africa will be erected this month.

• ZLT Cranes’ Raimondi agency is for eight countries • Raimondi MRT159s in 8 and 10 tonne options expected to the star of the show across these territories

Cook adds that African market demands, varying from country to country, are unified by the fact that the lifecycles of existing heavy lifting machinery are coming to a close, prompting fleet upgrades and allow- ing for the positioning of new machines across some of the biggest mining opera- tions regionally. “We expect that the Raimondi MRT159s in eight and 10 tonne options will be the star of the show across our territories. A combination of factors including the compet- itive pricing strategy and the varied tower and jib configurations make this machine extremely suitable for many of the region’s biggest operations and jobsites,” concludes Cook. b

the Great Noligwa Gold Mine at Vaal Reef, situated in the north-western region of South Africa,” says Rob Cook, Director, ZLT Tower Cranes. “Since 2006, I have been involved in the sale of over 290 mobile and crawler cranes in South Africa and other African countries. Based on my years in the regional market- place, I anticipate that Raimondi will be very warmly welcomed due the quality and dura- bility of its machinery range,” adds Cook. ZLT Cranes, part of a collective of com- panies that draws on more than 35 years of experience in the heavy machinery segment and various other sectors including mining, will also be providing aftersales service and maintenance programmes.

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